“I’m originally from South Africa. A few years ago, when I was working on my undergrad, I had a chance to mentor some high school students. I was immediately hooked and realized that I wanted to dedicate my life to trying to make a difference in the lives of others. I’m now working on my doctorate in clinical psychology.”
“I am the ultimate Star Wars fan. I couldn’t wait for it to come out so I decided to put on my storm trooper outfit and come to the mall. Yes, it’s hot but I don’t care because I’m a freakin storm trooper. I loved the first 3 Star Wars movies but absolutely hated the last 3. Jar Jar Binks was the worst character ever created. Whoever thought him up should be shot for creating that crap. However, whoever created Jabba the Hutt is a freaking genius. I’m still in love with Princess Leia”
“Yes, you can say that I am a Star Wars fan through and through. If you don’t like it, I really don’t care.”
“May the force be with you.”
“10 years ago while I was living back East, I was managing a retirement home. We were having trouble with one of the roof top air conditioning units so I climbed up on the roof to take a look. At the time I weighed about 300 pounds. Somehow I lost my balance and fell. I landed on my feet but immediately felt a tingling in my legs. I thought that it had something to do with my weight so I didn’t have it checked out by a doctor. Over the next week it continued to get worse. When I finally went in and got it checked, it was to late. I had done irreparable damage to my spine.”
“People treat me differently. They treat me like I can’t take care of myself. The fact is everyone has their own unique challenges. I decided a long time ago that I was not going to allow this to stop me from living a full life. When I chose to deal with my realty, it allowed me to focus on the future. Because of that, I live a much richer life now then I did before my accident. I wouldn’t change a thing. This has taught me to not take things for granted and to let go of all of my pride and just focus on being happy in the moment. I’m truly happier now than I was before the accident.”
“I have an 18 year old daughter. I don’t want her to see me as a victim. I want her to see me as just a normal person. I hope that someday that example will help her in a time when she needs to be tough.”
“The biggest challenge I’ve dealt with in the past is depression. For the longest time I just didn’t feel like I fit in anywhere. Even when I was around people I was alone. I started to self medicate by cutting myself. I’m not sure how it started, I just remember sitting on the floor and cut my arm with a razor. I now deal with it my putting all of my energy into listening to music that just speaks to me. It has to have a message that I can relate to. I also have great friends. They don’t judge me and just accept me for who I am.”
“I hope that someday I’ll be able to help someone by sharing my story.”
“At the age of 6 I was diagnosed with bone cancer. After trying to find a donor and being unsuccessful, the decision was made that I would lose my leg. My parents never allowed me to feel sorry for myself. They always encouraged me and told me that the only thing that would hold me back was me. I’ve learned to appreciate what I have and to not take things for granted. I’ve been a sponsored rock climber and recently took up jogging”.
“I met my husband in high school. He designed my prosthetic leg, and the company he works for manufactured it for me. You can say I’m a lucky lady”.
“I just want her to have a chance to grow up in a world that hasn’t been destroyed by those that have come before her.”
“”I’m not handicapped, I’m just different. Many people with the same challenges I have let that challenge define their lives. My mom always told me that everybody is unique and different, my difference is just physically noticeable. I can do anything that anybody else can do, I just have to do it a little differently”.
“I think the key to being happy is to be grateful. I choose to be grateful and happy every morning I wake up. Today is a new day, a new adventure, a new chance to make something of myself”.
“I absolutely love what I do. I’m a salesperson at the Microsoft store. I get to meet and help new people everyday. I also help run my mom and dad’s food truck. We owned a small restaurant in Iowa so it’s what we know. After we moved here from Las Vegas, we started talking about what we could do as a family and decided that a food truck was our best option”.
“My tattoo is from a Japanese anime called “Fooly Cooly”. It just reminds me that never to assume anything and that I have to have faith in something greater than myself”.
